adventures of an american housewife in the south of france

Delicious Cravings: Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork

Early last week, a blogger I follow on Instagram posted a picture of BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich and the little baby growing inside me whispered, "Give me that."   Shredded pork, thick BBQ sauce, buttery bun, I needed it now!

our finished product - just like i imagined it

We've been basking in the laziness of a 4 day weekend thanks to today's French holiday - May Day - which is basically like French Labor Day.  We decided this weekend would be the perfect time to try our hand at recreating this amazing sandwich of my dreams.  We are no strangers to slow cooking meat, but we weren't sure what to do about the BBQ sauce.  We just didn't like the idea of pouring it out of a bottle, and wanted to make our own.  We decided that ketchup as a main ingredient to BBQ sauce was completely unacceptable and began sifting through the interwebs to find a good, non-ketchup based recipe. After about 30 minutes of trolling different blogs and recipe sites, it hit me.  Duh, Smitten Kitchen.  I happen to think that Deb is a genius and I just KNEW that she had would have a fabulous recipe that didn't involve ketchup.  And I was right.  Wow, was I right.  Deb adapted Ina Garten's recipe that blends of variety of flavors into a tangy, sweet and smoky, downright lip-smacking BBQ sauce.  I could drink it, that's how fabulous it is.

yummm

Now doesn't that look fantastic?  Here's how you can re-create it. Step 1:  Slow cook your meat.   We did this by slightly altering the ingredients to our Pork Carnitas recipe.  Michael coated the huge slab of pork shoulder with ancho chili powder and a BBQ rub that my mom gave us from the Pampered Chef.  He seared the meat in the Dutch Oven, removed it, and then sauteed some onion in the juices, adding a bit of harissa sauce.  Once the onions were translucent, he put the pork back in with a can of Coke and a cup of OJ to give some sweetness.  He covered it, turned the heat to low, and let that bad boy simmer for about 5 hours. Step 2:  Shred your meat.   Once the pork was cooked through, Michael removed it from the Dutch Oven, reserving some of the chopped onion, and drained the liquid.  He added the meat back to the pot, shredded it up into large chunks with a fork, and covered it to keep warm. Step 3:  Make your BBQ sauce.  And use this recipe from Deb/Ina.  I couldn't believe a sauce this delicious was so easy.  It took about 15 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of active cook time, and 30 minutes of simmering.  Voila.  Mouth watering.  The best part is that this recipe makes 6 cups of sauce, way more than you need for your pulled pork, so you can refrigerate or freeze it and use it later on chicken, salmon, steaks, whatever!

dump everything in a pot and let it work its magic. easy peasy.

Step 4:  Stir in BBQ sauce and serve! Add a few cups of sauce to the shredded meat, stir it up, and slap it on a bun!  Eat 2 or 3 sandwiches (depending on how many the baby inside you demands) and then sit on the couch for the rest of night, thinking of leftovers.

i am ready for another!

We served our sandwiches with a Kidney Bean and Corn Salad that is a version of this personal recipe.  When I want a healthy side to counterbalance something naughty, I like to just chop up a bunch of fresh vegetables and toss in a bowl with some beans, then add a homemade dressing.  It never fails and the combinations are endless.

you could also use it as a garnish or salsa

We also made a Quick Cabbage Slaw to top our sandwiches and add some crunch to the sandwiches.  Slice up some cabbage and toss in olive oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper.  Done. And with this meal, summer has begun!  

2 Responses to “Delicious Cravings: Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork”

  1. Jen says:

    Wow, that sounds and looks amazing. I will def. Be making some homemade bbq sauce :). Enjoy your trip. Sardinia looks breathtaking!

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